This Isn’t How Negotiations Should Happen

The absolute joy of the NBA lockout coming to a close is that we’re back to a non-stop fury of trade and free agent rumors that make absolutely no sense and are almost entirely unsubstantiated. For instance, did you know that since both the Orlando Magic and New Orleans Hornets want Andrew Bynum in a deal with the Los Angeles Lakers if they trade Dwight Howard and Chris Paul, respectively, they’re going to just go ahead and share the oft-injured center? After all, the only team that matters in the NBA is the Lakers, so sayeth the media, so sayeth David Stern.

But while the rumors heat up, the actual truth is that the Hornets are almost certainly ready to trade Paul, while the Magic remain dedicated to keeping Howard and building a winner around him once again. How serious are they? Drunk dial serious.

The rumorconfirmed story is that Magic CEO/President Bob Vander Weide drunk dialed Howard at 1 a.m. this morning, and Vander Weide stepped down today, coming as a complete surprise to everyone in the organization. And that says a lot because he is owner Rich DeVos’ son-in-law. The NBA – where nepotism happens.

But as a Magic fan and one-time master of drunk dials, I commend Vander Weide’s efforts. Sure, Howard might not appreciate being woken at 1 a.m., but he needs to know how much we love him. Do you know, Dwight? Do you? Do you know? We love you, man. We should hang out more, dude. Hey, Dwight… hey. We love you, man. You don’t even know. YOU DON’T EVEN KNOW!

Before the lockout – owners: Us small market teams are losing money. We need to create an even playing field that will make every team competitive so we don’t lose all the stars to the big cities, thus ensuring that the small market cities will lose fans and revenue.